Amie Owen is on a retail media tear at UM

Amie Owen has “actually been on a tear, getting the UM Commerce name out there,” she said. Owen is the U.S. head of commerce at global media agency UM, a part of IPG Mediabrands, which is making advances in retail media. This past summer, Owen helped UM launch an aptly named Shoptimizer tool, which was in development for two years, to upgrade retail media buying for brands. See all of Ad Age’s 40 Under 40 honorees here Owen, 38, has been in the retail media space for more than 10 years, and she has seen it evolve from the manual process of working with retailers to the online, data-driven behemoth that exists today. Amazon, Walmart, Target, Lowe’s, CVS, Walgreens, Dollar General and Home Depot are just the tip of the retail media iceberg. And UM’s new platform is meant to make it easier for clients to understand the space that is booming. Shoptimizer automates planning, buying and analyzing campaigns across the hundreds of retail media networks that have popped up in recent years. There is no denying the importance of this space, which will account for about $45.15 billion in ad spend this year in the U.S., an increase of 20% from 2022, according to Insider Intelligence. When it launched Shoptimizer, UM also said its commerce practice manages more than $2 billion globally. “We’re really trying to make the space easy for our clients,” Owen said, “but also teaching them the complexity of what commerce really is.” UM is guiding brands to think more strategically about retail media, she said. Retail media buying used to be considered a tactic. “But we’ve evolved that over the last year or so,” Owen said, “and we’ve called it ‘commerce as a strategy,’ so making everything shoppable everywhere all the time ... and the latest is ‘commerce is content.’” Owen said she has a few guiding principles: “Never say you’re sorry. Don’t apologize. Progress over perfection and go with your gut.” Owen also is a marathon runner and plans to participate in London’s race next April. She said running is about “trying to do one thing a day that betters yourself." Owen added, “So that’s the time that I take to do that.” If you could have dinner with one person, alive or dead, who would it be and why? Jane Austen; she wrote my favorite books and I’d love to know if they are based on her real-life experiences. What are the top two social media sites you use on a regular basis? LinkedIn and Instagram. What’s currently on your bedside reading list? “Emma” and “The Travel Book.” What was the last show you binge-watched? “Working Moms.” At what age do you hope to retire? 55 (I hope!), but it depends on if I win the lottery. Ad Age Media Summit Hear from industry leaders during October event in NYC Register here

Amie Owen is on a retail media tear at UM

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